Despite the Civic Society's best efforts at the recent Public Inquiry our objections were ignored and the Local Plan goes ahead with the higher housing target of
27,000 over the next 15 years!
This decision ensures higher and higher blocks all along the Lea Valley (Blackhorse Lane) and on the Whipps Cross Hospital site to say nothing of Spitalfields and Leyton Mills.
The council has very few options as the Government expects all its policies to be adehered to as the structure below shows, but it did not need to find land for 27,000 new flats when the Government target, as applied by the GLA to the Borough, was only 18,960
TALL BUILDINGS POLICY 15 Page 158
As defined by the council a tall building is one over 10 storeys (30m). But the revised plan indicates the following criteria will have to be applied to the Visual Impact a planning application for a tall building makes:
i. Impact on the existing character and townscape of their surroundings considered in
long-range, mid-range and immediate views;
ii. Impact on the existing streetscape, including the provision of active frontages and
sufficient, high quality public realm at ground level;
iii. Impact on the existing, and where relevant emerging, skyline;
iv. Contribution to existing and proposed spatial networks and hierarchies, wayfinding,
and legibility;
v. Impact on heritage assets, their settings, and views to and from them including the
background zones of views identified in the London View Management Framework
(LVMF) (41)
; and
vi. Exemplar quality of architecture and design with careful attention paid to form and
proportionality, materials, finishes, and details,
I doubt if this means much as their own Lea Bridge Station tower blocks fail these criteria as do the 18 storey blocks at Whipps Cross Hospital site and their plans for Leyton Mills and Spitalfields. The current application for the car park by Leytonstone station fails miserably, but the planners will not admit to it. These days it is all about moneyitisation of land owned by the council and developers. Not about creating pleasant places for residents to live in.
The council does not ake an effort to inform or consult the public about serious issues For example the current public consultation on the revised Borough Plan. The consultation closed this week 21st September..
ReplyDeleteIf summer daytime temperatures are set to rise to in excess of 40 degrees in the London area in just a few years' time, how can we countenance the building of high-rise accommodation that will exacerbate and store that dangerous, life-threatening and debilitating heat? How can we prioritise such builds over low-rise, well-insulated and sustainable dwellings that have outdoor space and the best possible ecological footprint?
ReplyDeleteThe council only cares about the need to get more flats and the council tax to pay for services. Most of them live in houses with gardens. Plus they will not be around in the medium / long term to see the hell they are creating.
ReplyDeleteLBWF continually uses the plight of ordinary people trying to get a secure home to justify building expensive pigeon boxes , in the main for people outside the Borough.
The tower blocks in Walthamstow Square, are for private rent, including flats for wheel chair users . They have 1 lift and would be illegal by todays building standards.and we are supposed to be grateful and celebrate ' our 'stow' heritage.